It has been several years since the more astute professional has seen gathering storm clouds across the horizon.

And, there are a multitude of reasons why not just the U.S., but the entire world, is facing extremely troubling times ahead. There's even talk that what lies ahead will be even more challenging than what our grandparents (and great-grandparents) faced during the 1920s.

Now is not the time for a weak heart or complacency. The mother of trouble is bred through complacency and ignoring external challenges. In no uncertain terms, the growth cycle is over.

And now, a realignment of resources and strategy is in order -- now is the time to formulate your strategy!

Crisis Cycle
We can now say hello to what can accurately be termed a crisis cycle.

Our collective ability to sustain economic success has failed and realignment is now in motion. This motion can be seen in both the media and all around you. You may know someone who is been directly affected by this realignment - lost of jobs - or maybe a restructuring of business units which results in a re-titling of a job position and less pay. Banks are failing and global investors are buying our debit - some companies are so bad off that no one wants to touch them. If the realignment fails (and it does not look good at the moment) there will be even more bank failures and greater lost of business.

The crisis cycle will deepen.

New challenges will appear in some areas most of us have yet to fathom. Yet, beneath all the gloom and doom there is a silver lining.

Recruitment will continue to be a necessity amid all the turmoil but at a greatly reduced volume.

What to do?

You must achieve alignment and there is no more effective way than focused strategy.

Focus on Strategy
By focusing on how you are to survive in this crisis cycle you must realize there may be a need to realign your business strategy with new (or a subset of) skills in your possession. This means finding secondary or entirely new venues of employment opportunity. As the recruitment industry becomes more anemic you may not find success in just restructuring your way out of this crisis cycle.

In clearer terms, trying to find innovative methods to pull recruiting out of thin air may amount to straightening the deck chairs on the Titanic. Your computer is on, the browser and email client open, but no one is calling...

Renew Strategy
Assess how well you are positioned with respect to the changed and challenging environment.
Do your priorities need reevaluating?
Think through your revised strategy before initiating it.

Support Structure
Do your existing support structure, systems and skills support the changes in your strategy? If you find that one or more of them are ill-suited to the revised strategy you envision, you will need to acquire the capabilities you need.

Timing and Method of Deploying the Strategy
Having acquired any lacking skills/capabilities, indentify the path for making the change.

Customers
Which ones will you continue to serve and what markets? What new markets will you enter?

Capital
When considering which new markets to enter which ones will you invest in and more importantly where and how will you get the required capital?
Skills

If recruiting runs dry, what other skills do you have? What else are you good at?

Recovery Cycle
Eventually the recovery cycle will surface and the industrial machinery will start to churn once again. This will spur a renewed growth cycle.

Throughout history the cyclical nature of crisis has violently changed the face of the world. Those extreme economic stressors have tested the mettle of both the strong and the weak, the youthful and the old, and people from all economic background. And, in the end, it is this unasked for challenge that eventually shows each of us just how malleable and enduring we are as people.

Recruiting the right person for the right job is definitely a needed talent in the world of tomorrow.

In the end, it is the unity of the people who help each other through thick and thin.

[About the Author: Phil Robles is an IT professional with over 15 years experience working numerous IT roles within 5 major industries. He is also a business owner (DaVinciworks™ & SMEOracle™). Phil is an Air Force veteran, has a B.S. Social Psychology degree from Park University, a Master, Information Systems degree from University of Phoenix, AZ, and is currently working on his Doctorate in Management and Organizational Leadership with a specialty in IT Services, University of Phoenix, AZ.]